Danny and Valerie After Phantom Planet (One-Shot)
by DannyFenton123
Summary: We can all agree Phantom Planet sucked. Badly. The worst bit though, is seeing NOTHING of Valerie's reaction. This is just a humourous take on a different ending. Danny and Sam have not kissed. Enjoy! Important AU inside.


**Hi, all you awesome people! I have to say that I am really sorry that I have not managed to complete the next chapter for Sibling Secrets for AAAGGGEEESSS! That sucks; it's an important climatic chapter and I hate to leave people hanging for so long.**

 **Unfortunately, I have had some problems writing it up; it never turns out the way I like it, and I did get a little hate mail in my private messages for... I don't know, reasons (I had no idea that my story was a 'disgrace to fanfiction', as it was out).**

 **It's no excuse, I know, but I don't like to leave AU's on their own, so I wrote this quick little one-shot to clear my head and for you guys to read. Don't expect it to be the pinnacle of my writing, but it has a little twist at the end and I sincerely hope you enjoy. You guys are really awesome and I appreciate you all for sticking with me and my little fanfictions... Have a great day!**

"It's alright, Danny. They know." Jazz grinned softly at her brother in his ghost form, who, standing nervously in front of his parents and a wide circle of the people he both knew and did not know, had looked to her for guidance.

Danny looked back at his parents, then at the circle of faces. He then turned back to Jack and Maddie, who waited with expectant expressions.

His jaw set.

A familiar ring formed around Danny's waist, transforming his ghostly glowing jumpsuit, his bone-white hair and his toxic green eyes, from an untouchable hero into the dorky kid not everybody knew all that much about. To the people who did know him well, it was the face Jazz had learned to admire, the face that Jack and Maddie had loved a long time before his alter ego had ever come onto the scene.

It was also the face Valerie had come to count as one of her best friends. To her, he was just a kind, gentle, normal guy who she felt she could trust. When she was talking to him, the weirdness and unfairness of her life didn't seem to matter all that much anymore. Sure, he was a little quirky, and he always seemed rush off at the most inopportune times, but he wasn't a ghost. He wasn't Danny Phantom.

And yet, against everything she thought she knew, there he was. Danny Fenton was standing right there, where Danny Phantom had just been. And then people were clapping, and her head was reeling. It just wasn't sinking in, no matter how much evidence there was.

She couldn't stand another second of it. She had to think. Valerie tugged on Damon's sleeve, making him look down. When he saw her face, he simply nodded, understanding, and began to lead her back to the fancy Russian helicopter they had been loaned, and with a dash of luck they would catch a flight in Barneo earlier than Danny and his friends. Some alone time would be nice.

Valerie looked back once, and she found herself locking eyes with Danny himself, in the middle of a large crowd. At once his expression changed; his smile dropped and he started forward.

"Valer-whoooah! Ice! Ice!" Danny's head disappeared as he slipped and fell on his butt, and Valerie turned back, allowing herself a small smile.

"Buckle up. It's a long helicopter ride to Barneo." Damon opened the door on the shotgun seat for his daughter before closing it after her and getting behind the controls. He handed earmuffs to Valerie and put some on himself, before taking out his phone.

"Hold this and tell me if it vibrates," Damon instructed her, handing her the mobile. Valerie suddenly realised something.

"Wait, you're driving?" Valerie raised her eyebrows as her father straightened his glasses and ran his finger up and down the cockpit controls. He didn't appear to have heard her.

Valerie then realised immediately afterwards that that was a stupid question, because Damon had been an ace pilot in the US Airforce up until she was ten. Then her mother died, and him going on long military campaigns was no longer a possibility.

Damon pressed a button. The noise as the helicopter blades began to spin started quiet and grew deafening. Damon pulled the collective pitch control slowly, raising the helicopter in the air as he steadied it with the pedals and his other hand on the cyclic. Valerie looked out of the window, and saw that the group of people were shrinking, shrinking, and their little heads craning to see them off.

Valerie half-expected to see another flash of light, the form of the ghost boy who was both her friend and her enemy, streaking after them to mess with her head again.

Damon steadied the collective, and as he did so gently pushed the cyclic forwards. The helicopter tilted ever so slightly forwards at first as the machine moved forwards, to Barneo. Away from Danny.

As they were on their way, a vibrating started up on her lap, where Valerie had positioned her father's phone. Valerie looked down, and her heart twisted.

 _Danny Fenton_

Her finger reached forward and pressed the red phone button. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She must have slept, despite the noise and the emotion, because the next thing she was aware of, was her father gently removing her earmuffs.

"We're here, Valerie." Damon smiled softly as his daughter slowly woke up. "You remember Barneo ice station, right? From when we first arrived at the North Pole?"

Valerie opened her eyes and smiled at her father. "You drove the helicopter really well, Daddy."

"Well," Damon's moustache twitched as he grinned back. "I'm much better at flying fixed-wing aircraft, but I guess I'm not as bad as I thought with these machines. Just let me make one quick call, and we'll be off, okay?"

~Line Break~

She should have known; planes aren't exactly on a schedule in the middle of the North Pole. That is, not at a cost the Grays could currently afford.

Valerie sighed. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm guessing hotels aren't very commonplace in the middle of nowhere."

"It's okay." Damon placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "There are some sections for visitors, Valerie. We'll just hang around the mess hall until the flight comes."

A revelation suddenly came upon Valerie. "You knew that we weren't going any earlier."

Damon's hand tightened on her shoulder. "I need to go to the toilet. Do you mind waiting right here?"

"No, but..." Valerie trailed off. She looked around the hangar, but soon enough a voice was audible, somewhere obscured from her view, but still in the vicinity.

"Jazz! Not just yet!"

"Danny, it's now or never."

"But what am I going to say? What am I supposed to say?"

"Be honest!"

Valerie began tiptoeing towards the voices, which sounded like they were just around a jutting, thick support beam.

"Oh, and that will totally works. 'Hey Valerie, I know I managed to accidentally ruin your life, and I never really told you the truth, but I'm actually a good guy. Just call me Caspar!"

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down!"

"No, _you_ keep your voice down!"

"I'm not the one shouting!" Valerie rounded the corner, to see Danny, Danny Fenton, and his sister locked in a rather loud argument about not being quiet. Jazz was wrapped up in tight winter gear, whilst Danny seemed perfectly fine in his classic t-shirt and jeans.

Her stomach twisted.

"Jazz, I am totally _calm_!" Danny spread his arms wide. "Look at me _not shouting_! If there's anybody going to blow our cover it's going to be-"

Valerie cleared her throat, causing Danny and Jazz to jump out of their skins.

"VALERIE!" Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I mean, hey, Valerie! How-how-how are you doing here- I mean, who are you- I mean, what are you? What are you doing here? Yeah..." Grinning nervously, Danny rubbed the back of his neck whilst Jazz hid an awkward giggle in the back of her hand.

Goofy as always. Valerie felt the edges of her lips begin to curl into a warm grin.

 _Danny Phantom cheerfully charges past her in Axion Labs, leading a great green giant of a dog in to wreck her life._

 _Danny Phantom knocked off her hood. He exposed her in front of her father and compromised her secret._

 _Danny Phantom nearly killed her and left her in space._

 _Danny Phantom is the enemy._

 _Danny Phantom is Danny Fenton._

Valerie's jaw set, and she crossed her arms. "Boy, you have some explaining to do, my _friend_."

"Val, I-" Danny started, Jazz at his side.

"Valerie."  
"Valerie. Got it." Danny nodded, rubbing the back of his neck again. "I- uh... I don't know how to explain this-"

"No worries, Danny." Valerie shrugged. Her face was a mask.

"Wait, what?" Danny's eyes lit up; the same blue they had always been, but Valerie could almost see the toxic green in his irises.

Jazz frowned at Valerie, suspicious.

"Yeah, sure." Valerie's teeth clenched together. "I know it's difficult to explain to somebody you've pretended to be a friend to that you're actually nothing but a genius sociopathic ghost."

"Wait, what?" Danny's brow creased.

"You manipulated me." Valerie deadpanned. "Don't play dumb."

"I didn't manipulate you, Valerie! I just... never found the right time to break it to you."

Jazz stepped in. "Valerie, perhaps if you just let Danny speak-"

"This doesn't involve you. I thought you were my friend, Danny. Maybe, at one point," Valerie's voice softened. "I thought we were more than friends. But that doesn't matter now."

Jazz looked at Danny, who nodded at her. Jazz walked out of the nearest door.

Danny looked back at Valerie. He paused a second before he spoke, his eyes clear. "We are friends, Valerie. I just never told you the truth because it would ruin our friendship."

"That's-"

"You hated Danny Phantom before you even acknowledged me. I was scared that you would hate me." He took a breath. "There was a lot at stake. What if, you started shooting at me, like you do?"

Valerie didn't have an answer.

"You could have revealed that I had ghost powers, or something! And I wasn't ready for that. And I didn't want to hurt you."

"What makes you think you can?" Valerie punched Danny lightly on the shoulder. "You know, you've changed a lot since I first met you."

"I have?" Danny raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "Is- is that a good thing?"

"Yeah." Valerie grinned. "You're a lot more mature. You can handle arguments a lot better than you used to."

"I am?"

"Remember when we had that stupid argument, the one with the flour babies?"

"Oh... that..." Danny went red. "Uhhh... sorry?

"We're over that. I was really stubborn back then."

"So... are we cool? Are we cool, Valerie?"Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

Valerie smiled. "It's Val, Ghost Boy!" She snorted, then continued on warmly. "We're still friends, Danny. I'm... I'm sorry that I shouted at you earlier. Really sorry."

"That's fine." Danny grinned back at her. All of a sudden, it seemed that they were very close to each other. His cheeks went red. "You... you know that time when we were nearly dating, but you didn't want to?"

It was Valerie's turn to blush. "Oh. Oh yeah. I broke up with you to... hunt you. That seems kind of silly now."

"Yeah... Well, Val?"

"Danny?"

The two of them drew in their breath, closed their eyes, and leaned toward each other, their lips puckered.

Closer... closer... each holding their breath in slow motion, anticipating the moment that was soon to arrive...

And...

" _Achoo_!" Luckily for them, they were fast enough to each cover their mouths before they sneezed all over each other.

"Bless you, Danny!" Valerie snorted. "Did we really just sneeze at the same time?"

"Bless you too... Yeah. For a second, it almost looked like we were kissing... weird."

Valerie elbowed Danny. "Don't shock me again, Ghost Boy! I'm glad that we're just friends again."

"Me too. Look, Mr. Gray's back from the bathroom! Should we wait out at the mess hall for the Fenton RV?" Danny counted in his head. "It can't be more than an hour away by now."

"Sure thing." Valerie took her friend's hand, and squeezed it. "The North Pole is cool and all, but I'm happy to leave. It's freezing!" Together, they started walking out. "It's a lucky thing that we all brought our cartoon-logic jackets that don't look at all like they are suited to -30 degrees temperatures, otherwise we'd all have died a gruesome R rated death by now from frostbite!"


End file.
